Stardust - Thomas - Maze Runner

Act I - Prologue

A/N: So, to celebrate the 4-year-anniversary of the Death Cure, the prologue for my Thomas book is here! I'm honestly so excited for this one and I have BIG plans for it, I hope you're ready for a ride! As always let me know what you think. Votes and comments are always appreciated since they are what keep me motivated! Also, a quick observation, it does start at the middle of the Scorch Trials, just for a better context hahah

It had been a week since they had been found by the Right Arm and brought over to their secluded camp and, truth be told, they had been nothing but kind to them. Especially Mary, who had taken a particular liking to Selena and her knowledge on anything slightly medical. Still, Selena had a hard time feeling comfortable now, feeling safe and she could tell the girls worried for her. Sonya and Harriet were constantly keeping an eye on her, checking on her, making sure she had eaten, or slept or even talked at all during the day because they missed the old Selena, she knew it. And if Selena was being honest, she missed the old her too.

Old Selena used to smile more. She used to laugh more and joke more. Old Selena used to be warmer, softer, far more welcoming. She needed to be. Being the first girl to come up that damned box during her time at the Sposh, she learned to be that way. She learned how to talk to people, making them feel comfortable, protected, cozy... Even in the cold and harsh environment around them with the huge icy walls of the mazes towering around the snowy ground she and the girls from her group had been put on, Selena had learned how to make any new incomers feel a little better, like they belonged, like they didn't have to worry about themselves, because she would worry for them. And she had. For the long three years she had spent at the Sposh with the girls, Selena had made of herself something of a leader.

And that was probably why she felt so responsible still for all of the lives they had lost during their escape from the maze. And then a few more during their escape from WCKD. And then even more during their times at the tunnels with the cranks and the rats and the smelly water. And, sure, now, for the past seven days, they hadn't lost any more lives, but still... Selena could remember all of their names, see all of their faces... Wendy, Simone, Abigail, Daphne, Rachel, Violet... Oh, how much she missed Violet... And, of course, Sonya and Harriet knew she felt that way and, of course, the two of them would try to tell her that she shouldn't blame herself for what happened.

"You saved our lives, Selly." Sonya had told her one day, sitting on one of her sides with Harriet on the other while the three of them watched the sunset behind the mountains from a cliff inside the camp, a spot Selena had found a few days before and practically claimed as hers. "Inside and outside the Sposh."

Selena had chuckled then, shaking her head, clearly trying to deflect the compliment, but Sonya and Harriet had been determined to get her to at least smile a little. Genuinely, this time.

"It's true, Sel." Harriet had nodded then, clearly agreeing with her girlfriend. "You were our only constant through this whole mess and, without you, I'm pretty sure our whole group would have imploded."

"That's not true." Selena had sniffled, wiping her nose a little as she tried hard not to cry. "You would've been fine without me. Probably better."

"Don't be stupid, Selly." Sonya had rolled her eyes then, reaching a hand over to grab Selena's as she turned to look at her friend, her leader, her sister, her support system through those difficult times. "That's sticking bullshit and you know it."

"It really is, Sel." Harriet had agreed. "We need you, you know that. But not that shell of you. We need... We need the old Selena back. Please?"

And, oh, how Selena had tried... She really had. Tried to put her guard down a little like most of her friends had done now that they were with the Right Arm. Tried to spend some time with the girls again, bringing back the many times they had had, loads of fun together at the Sposh when they weren't running the maze or welcoming a newbie. Tried to have some mindless chats with Sonya like they used to, gossiping and laughing as if it was the only thing they ever needed to do. Tried to let herself relax and feel safer. But she couldn't. Not anymore. Not after everything she had been through. Not after WCKD.

They had used her and beaten her and bent her over and over again, seeing if she'd crack. And she finally had. WCKD had finally broken her and Selena was afraid she was too far gone now to come back.

And so was Sonya. As she watched the girl she considered her best friend ever since she could remember - quite literally too - sitting alone in her bed, looking down at the little rope necklace in her hand, she worried Selena was too far gone too. Too wrapped up in her guilt over everyone they lost along the way, but, especially, her guilt over losing Violet when they were so close to safety. Sonya knew she'd be beating herself up for it for too long, but she hoped she'd come back from it eventually. And, sure, maybe distracting her from all of her problems with what could possibly be a lot more problems for them wasn't the best of ideas, but that was what Selena had always done. Even back at the Sposh, whenever there was a problem that she didn't seem to know how to fix, she'd end up going around, fixing everything else for everyone else while she thought over how to help with the initial problem.

So, as she stood at the entrance of their tent, holding up the flap, Sonya smiled a little as she cleared her throat. Lifting her eyes from the rope necklace, Selena sighed in half-relief as she noticed it was just Sonya standing there.

"Hey." She said, shoving the necklace back inside the pocket of her jacket as Sonya nodded her head at her.

"Hi." She smiled. "You okay?"

"I'm fine." Selena smiled back at her, and, even if Sonya knew it wasn't one of her usual, pretty smiles, it was still better than nothing. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything's fine." Sonya nodded again. "Actually, everything is great. Exactly according to plan."

"Oh? Really?" Selena asked.

"Really." Sonya confirmed. "So Vince told me to come over and fetch you."

"We're going?" Selena frowned, but she was already standing up, zipping up her jacket before pulling up her hair up in a ponytail. "Now?"

"Now." Sonya said. "So, come up. We were just waiting for you."

And, with that, Sonya extended a hand out toward Selena and, as soon as the red-headed girl was done fixing up her hair, she smiled a little again. This time wider, gentler, warmer... Just like her smiles used to be back in the Sposh. And when she grabbed Sonya's hands in hers, the blonde felt her heart doubling in size at the way her best friend was, suddenly - and even if just for a little while -, clearly feeling a little safer.

"No more waiting then." Selena smiled, allowing Sonya to pull her out of the tent and out into the bright sun, shyly coming up from behind the mountains to signalize the start of a new day. "Let's do it."